Students renew conversation on school start times

The start of the new school year is just a week or two away, which means students across Oregon are likely dreading having to start setting early alarm clocks once again. School start times vary across the state, but a local group of students has begun pushing for a conversation about pushing those start times later into the morning — no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Studies have shown that teens would benefit from more sleep and graduation rates would likely improve. But in some districts, parents, teachers and district officials push back on the idea, citing family scheduling and transportation challenges, as well as concerns about cost. The renewed discussion also comes as Oregon, like many other states across the country, is grappling with a sharp rise in student absenteeism in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students Alvin Chan and Aditi Subramanium joined OSU pediatrician Dr. Ben Hoffman and Oregon State Rep. Hoa Nguyen as panelists on this week's episode of Straight Talk to discuss possible solutions to the problem, including the idea of later start times.